Fusion Fashion

With its abundant cultural and environmental diversity, the ripples of Nepal’s aesthetic influence are being felt within the country and across the world. Creatives are constantly finding fresh ways to mix traditional elements into their personal inspirations.

Be it their grandmother’s Bulaki or ethnic textiles reimagined in global silhouettes, Nepali designers, artists, and musicians are breathing new life into historic styles.

Nepal has a wealth of traditional textiles, from handloom Dhaka to Haku Patasi. With their distinctive colour schemes and wide variety of patterns, these textiles lend themselves to being reworked as fusion style garments. Nepali brands and local tailors alike are increasingly using these weaves.

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Kathmandu-based tailor Riddhi Bajracharya has begun creating tailored overcoats and blazers in Haku Patasi while Nepal-Scotland based brand Clove and Moon reimagines the weave in Japanese Jinbei, waistcoats, and accessories. Other brands are adding elements of the textile to their accessories as the popularity of traditional Newar dress is visibly increasing, even beyond jatra and feasts.

“We are seeing huge increases in demand for Haku Patasi clothing,” says Manjushree Tailors owner Riddhi Bajracharya. “We see many more people going out wearing Newari dress in the streets, wearing both traditional and fusion styles like tailored coats and gowns. Some people find wearing sari uncomfortable for events, so they order Haku Patasi gowns in different styles to mix heritage with comfort.”

Nepal’s contemporary musicians blend local with global in their songs, and they also often experiment with innovative fusionwear looks both on- and off-stage. 

“I enjoy mixing traditional Nepali and western style because it looks cool,” says Samrat Manandhar, drummer for Shree 3 and Tumbleweed Inc. “It’s comfortable as well, and mixed styles look unique.”

Perhaps one of the most recognisable Nepali women’s garments is the Chaubandi Cholo. Whether in jewel toned velvets or patterned Cauterize (needlecord), the eclectically inclined are pairing these traditional blouses with everything from miniskirts to maxi dresses. They are using fabrics often reserved for the blouse to make waistcoats or vintage style separates.

As thrifting continues to gain popularity in Nepal, vintage and secondhand clothing is increasingly seen mixed with Nepalese garments by all ages to create unique looks.

Nepali Dago, arguably the original hair extensions, are another part of Nepal’s rich aesthetic heritage making a comeback in recent years. Paired equally well with jeans and a t-shirt as with a ruby red sari, this accessory is increasingly brightening up streetwear from Kathmandu to New York.

Many countries associate nose piercings with subcultures, especially the septum piercing. In Nepal, the Fuli and Bulaki have been worn by multiple ethnic groups for generations, sometimes measuring over an inch long. Having a unique ability to signal an alternative leaning and a nod to tradition, some find the piercing a beautiful way to showcase facets of their identity, in Nepal and abroad.

“Growing up, I never really understood the significance of fusion wear,” says e-commerce account manager Krisha Bhattarai. “My mom would always incorporate tika, potey, and other Nepali bits and pieces into her everyday outfits, but it wasn’t until I started to decolonise my mindset that I began to see why she did it.”

She adds, “Now, I see it as a way of staying in touch with my background. I wear a Bulaki and Chaubandi Cholo because they were the fashion of my paternal grandmother and the women before her… explaining the significance of the Bulaki or the history of the Ashrafi to people in the UK helps me express myself and share parts of my culture.”

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Nepali jewellery has communicated everything from marital status to profession over the centuries. Traditional statement ornaments are equally at home styled with streetwear as they are worn at weddings. 

Numerous young designers and entrepreneurs are choosing traditional jewellery designs and techniques to express themselves, responding to increasing consumer demand for accessible ways to wear ethnic styles.

Says Pragati Shrestha, founder of Euphoria Nepal: “We create a harmonious fusion between our traditional jewellery and modern everyday wear… It’s a great learning experience. I get to learn more about our culture, art and most importantly the significance of every intricate detail of the different symbols, statues, and artefacts of our history.”

Euphoria Nepal incorporates the essence of Nepali art and craft in modern fashion and has now expanded its business internationally, with a sister brand in Canada.

A more permanent fashion element is tattoo, and here too artists and enthusiasts have flocked to Nepal to ink traditional designs on their skin or get inspired for their own work. Many of Nepal’s tattoo artists are not only mixing different art styles in their work, they are also using these designs on clothing.

Thamel-based studio Tattoo Junction’s Anitya Chakra makes Japanese inspired cotton sets and graphic t-shirts, collaborating with a range of tattoo artists to print their unique creations in wearable form. UK and Nepal based tattooer Tatt Art Nepal makes organic cotton tote bags featuring his Himalayan inspired fusion designs, blurring the boundaries between art and fashion.

Those who choose to cover themselves in tattoos add yet another aesthetic layer to traditional ensembles, showing the ever evolving nature of culture. Many of Nepal’s ethnic groups have traditional tattoo practices. Heritage art often lends itself to creating striking tattoo designs, offering a wealth of possibilities for self-expression through ink.

“I am always fond of wearing traditional clothes. Mostly my grandmom and granddad’s vintage stuff,” says Kathmandu-based stylist StyledbyShreya. “I feel like tattoos are ornaments on me and so is traditional clothing: I love all the variations of different cultures.”

Nepal’s creatives are exploring fresh ways of interacting with culture, adding yet another level of meaning to classical textiles, jewellery, fashion, and art. This interactive and energetic approach to Nepal’s design heritage is equally important as a traditional or academic one in promoting the country’s rich and diverse cultures across the world.

By harmoniously blending personal and community identities, Nepal’s designers, tattooers, stylists, and consumers are contributing to keeping valuable skills and knowledge alive ­­­-- and having fun while doing it.

Isabelle Shrestha is a writer and creative based between Scotland and Nepal, and holds a degree in Japanese and Tibetan from the University of Oxford.